The bevy of longshot PGA Tour winners might have come to an end last weekend with Scottie Scheffler's victory at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Now, the world No. 1 is set to defend his 2023 title this week at the Players Championship, and this may only be the start of a Scheffler run after he broke through with his first PGA Tour win in 51 weeks.
Scheffler will go off at TPC Sawgrass as a heavy favorite, which is not unexpected given his form over the last two years. He is listed at 11/2 to begin the week and stands as one of two players listed under 20-1 odds with world No. 2 Rory McIlroy the other at 12-1.
A winner at TPC Sawgrass in the past, McIlroy arrives at this season's tournament with some question marks surrounding his game. While his driving has been superb, he will need to answer queries about his approach play if he is to prove victorious in the Players Championship once again.
Justin Thomas is another past champion finding his name near the top of the odds board. The two-time PGA Championship winner has been stellar in 2024, and he's well on his way to returning to the type of player that consistently raised trophies. Thomas is still without a win since the 2022 PGA Championship, but a trip to TPC Sawgrass may be exactly what the doctor ordered for J.T.
Let's have a look at the betting odds for the 2024 Players Championship via SportsLine consensus.
2024 Players Championship odds, picks
Favorites
- Scottie Scheffler: 11/2
- Rory McIlroy: 12-1
- Justin Thomas: 22-1
- Xander Schauffele: 22-1
- Viktor Hovland: 22-1
- Patrick Cantlay: 25-1
- Will Zalatoris: 25-1
Scheffler is nearly sitting 5-1 after his five-stroke victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. There's a chance this is the beginning of the end for the competition as the Texan has shown he plays his best golf on the same golf courses year over year. He nearly won the WM Phoenix Open for the third straight season, claimed his second red cardigan at Bay Hill and could conceivably defend this title as well. If the newly introduced mallet putter continues to shine, Scheffler should continue cashing winner's checks.
Contenders
- Hideki Matsuyama: 28-1
- Max Homa: 33-1
- Ludvig Åberg: 33-1
- Wyndham Clark: 33-1
- Sam Burns: 33-1
- Collin Morikawa: 35-1
- Jordan Spieth: 35-1
- Shane Lowry: 40-1
- Tommy Fleetwood: 45-1
- Jason Day: 45-1
Lowry found himself in the final pairing of the final round for the second straight week but ultimately came up short. It marked his second straight top-five finish in Florida, and now, the Irishman returns to TPC Sawgrass where his game has translated to success. He has made the cut here in three straight appearances including top-15 efforts in 2021 and 2022.
Sleepers
- Sahith Theegala: 50-1
- Cameron Young: 50-1
- Min Woo Lee: 55-1
- Sungjae Im: 60-1
- Si Woo Kim: 60-1
- Russell Henley: 60-1
- Corey Conners: 60-1
- Tony Finau: 60-1
- Brian Harman: 65-1
- Harris English: 65-1
- Matt Fitzpatrick: 70-1
- Tom Kim: 75-1
- Byeong Hun An: 75-1
- Adam Scott: 80-1
- Tom Hoge: 80-1
- J.T. Poston: 90-1
- Keith Mitchell: 90-1
I kind of love this range. There are plenty of buy-low opportunities here with players like Matt Fitzpatrick and Adam Scott missing the cut at Bay Hill. Tom Hoge is a name to watch as he set the course record at TPC Sawgrass with a 10-under 62 in last year's championship; he enters striking the ball brilliantly. Hoge led the field at Bay Hill in terms of ball striking and should pick up where he last left off.
Rest of the field
- Keegan Bradley: 100-1
- Cam Davis: 100-1
- Eric Cole: 110-1
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout: 110-1
- Jake Knapp: 120-1
- Justin Rose: 120-1
- Nicolai Hojgaard: 120-1
- Erik van Rooyen: 120-1
- Billy Horschel: 120-1
- Adam Hadwin: 120-1
- Rickie Fowler: 120-1
- Alex Noren: 120-1
Fowler finds himself in a featured group the first two days alongside Scheffler and Thomas, but that tee time may be all that they share. The 2015 champion has struggled out the gates in 2024 failing to capture a top-30 finish in seven tournaments. His game is a far cry from where it was last summer, but he has always found a way to poke his head around TPC Sawgrass as shown by a T13 last year.
- Denny McCarthy: 150-1
- Chris Kirk: 150-1
- Matthieu Pavon: 150-1
- Emiliano Grillo: 150-1
- Stephan Jaeger: 150-1
- Brendon Todd: 150-1
- Sepp Straka: 150-1
- Aaron Rai: 150-1
Who will win The Players Championship, and which long shots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard and best bets, all from the model that's nailed 10 golf majors and is up more than $9,600 since June 2020.
